“I have had 11 miscarriages, 10 early and one late, all whilst working in a large public sector organisation. I was lucky that I could have sick pay, however I felt this was a difficult decision as I wasn’t sick, I was suffering a loss and was a bereaved parent however it wasn’t seen as this.

“During my losses, at times, I continued to work having miscarriages at my desk as I did not want to take time off sick. Other times I would have a D&C in the morning and be back at my desk in the afternoon. I rarely took time to recover emotionally. My husband was in the same organisation and took no time off as again this would have been classed as sick leave. 

“During one of my later miscarriages, I suffered a number of complications and had to take time off sick, and for my late miscarriage I was required to take a significant amount of sick leave. I was disciplined by the organisation, and I ended up taking the organisation to Industrial Tribunal.

“I feel that if you are treated well during such a traumatic time then you will do all you can for the organisation you work for, however if you are treated poorly, you become resentful.

“Whilst paid parental leave wouldn’t have been enough during my late miscarriage, in some of my other miscarriages automatic paid time off would have helped my recovery as it would have meant I had time to recover physically. Some of the miscarriages required a procedure in hospital and paid time off would have given me time and allowed my partner to attend with me. For me, the initial days were the worst so having a couple of weeks, not having to worry about finances or being off work 'sick' would have allowed me mentally to start dealing with the loss. Two weeks is unlikely to be enough in most cases, however, being able to have those two weeks off protected, knowing you don’t have to worry about money or being disciplined might just be what helps people recover. 

"It’s a positive step to acknowledging miscarriage as a bereavement too. Having this leave for miscarriages acknowledges our babies from when we get that positive pregnancy test. I was told that my pregnancy, miscarried at approximately seven weeks, was not technically a pregnancy and therefore not classed as a pregnancy related absence. This leave would have shown my baby did exist and it’s okay to grieve the baby. For me it’s a big deal that this new leave will be classed as bereavement leave, as I was forced to take sick leave when I wasn’t sick. It’s important for families that their babies are recognised and their loss is recognised no matter what gestation the loss is.”